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Peter Raymond-Smiedy, '17 never expected to be where he is today. A decade ago he was struggling through his senior year at Syracuse's Fowler High School. "I wasn't the best student. I had no concept. I didn't have the best grades." Now he's in his first semester of graduate school at Syracuse University where he's pursuing his Ph.D. in Biology. He credits Onondaga Community College and its faculty with playing a critical role in his success. "OCC is the reason I'm where I am right now.

• Major: Early Childhood
• High School: Dunkirk, class of 1994

Tricia Buttiglieri's road to a college degree began in the summer of 2018 when her husband was driving to work and spotted a billboard advertising OCC's new Weekend College. "He called me, told me about it, and said I should check it out. That night when I got home from work, I went to the OCC website, applied, and it started the ball rolling right away."

Onondaga Community College has been named to the Princeton Review's 2019 Guide to Green Schools. The Princeton Review created the list based on sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. It's the second consecutive year the College has received this honor.

OCC's sustainability-related features recognized by the Princeton Review include:

Last fall on the first day of classes, Biology Professor Justin Fiene made his students an offer. He was looking for someone who could use a series of wildlife photos he had taken with a trail camera and turn them into a children's book. Princess Figueroa, who was in her first week of classes after coming to OCC from Liverpool High School, immediately jumped at the opportunity. "In high school I took a class on child development and I thought I could use what I had learned to make the book simple and easy for children to understand. I knew how kids think," said Figueroa.

Our outstanding Nursing major is the subject of this month's edition of our podcast, "Higher Ed News You Can use from Onondaga Community College." Nursing Department Chair Leanne Waterman joins us to discuss the recent announcement of our agreement with SUNY Upstate which gives students a seamless path to a bachelor's degree, the outstanding faculty within our Nursing major who all have current experience in the industry, and upcoming deadlines for students to apply.

Deynaba Farah has set the bar high for her siblings. Farah and her family moved from Somalia to the United States in 2004. She learned the English language and became the first member of her family to earn a high school diploma when she graduated from Nottingham. Then it was on to Onondaga Community College where she represented the students on the Board of Trustees and earned a degree in Human Services. Two years later she graduated from Syracuse University and now works for the Syracuse City School District as a Promise Zone Specialist at Dr.

• Major: General Studies
• Home schooled from Oswego

Rebekah MacLean's life experiences have her on a path to a career assisting others. "When I was a junior in high school I became more and more interested in psychology. I was in therapy for a number of years and it really inspired me to help others who had been through similar difficulties. I want to help people."